Lawmakers consider 3 bills that would further restrict access to abortion care.  

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** Legislative Update Week 2
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Welcome to the Wild Wild West – where the legislature won't protect our environment, won't support Medicaid expansion or a woman's right to choose, and is dead set against responsible fiscal policy.


** First the Bad News
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**
Trio of Bills to Further Restrict Abortion Care in Wyoming Advance
Committee Hearings on WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 23
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The Wyoming Legislature continues to limit abortion, despite the fact the Wyoming lawmakers already restricted abortion after viability or at about 22-to-24 weeks in 2019.

Legislators continue to erode women’s choices in our state, despite a 2015 study by the University of Wyoming finding that 55% of Wyomingites support access to abortion. It’s surprising that such bills would advance in this short budget session when so many critical issues are pressing.

HB 92 – Trigger bill – would automatically ban abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. The bill was introduced and referred to the House Labor, Health & Social Services Committee.
HB 149 – Human life equality – prohibiting discriminatory abortion – would ban abortions based on “selective reasons” including “race, sex, or selected disabilities.” This bill, which includes fatal birth defects, is egregiously punitive and potentially dangerous to women’s physical and mental health. Research has shown that women do not choose abortion based on any of these reasons.

SF 83 – Prohibiting chemical abortions – would outlaw abortion pills and impose penalties of six months in prison and $9,000 fine for any physician or person who violates the law. The bill provides exceptions for use of the listed medications when used for birth control and after miscarriage to save the life of the mother. This bill was referred to the Senate Labor, Health & Social Services Committee.


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** Real Estate Tax Fails Introduction
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HB 35 – County optional real estate tax - failed to get the votes needed for introduction. This legislation would have allowed counties to levy a one percent tax on the sale of properties valued over $1.5 million. County voters would approve the tax which would be levied for specific purposes, much like the current SPET tax. The bill allowed for many exemption such as transfers to family members and agriculture lands.



** WYDOT Deficit
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WYDOT won’t be getting any help from the legislature with its budget deficit this session. Two bills designed to close the budget gap both failed introduction. House Bill 14 – Fuel tax, would have provided for a 15-cent fuel tax increase. The second bill HB 36 – Severance Tax distribution revision, would have allowed a diversion of mineral severance tax monies that now automatically flow into the Permanent Mineral Trust Fund to instead be used to build highways and provide maintenance.


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Medicaid Expansion Fails for Now
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Support for Medicaid Expansion in Wyoming is at a high, but lawmakers chose not to consider the issue during the budget session (although there is surely a budgetary impact for the 20,000 uninsured and the hospitals that bear the costs of medical care). Supporters will try to move the measure forward through a budget amendment, which has pluses and minuses. We’ll be following this effort and write more about it next week.


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** Now the Good News
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Two bills that would have banned the teaching of Critical Race Theory in Wyoming fell short of the 2/3 majority needed for the introduction of a non-budget bill in a budget session.


** Critical Race Theory
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HB 97 – Ban on teaching and training critical race theory – this bill would have restricted teachers from presenting a curriculum that “presents any form of blame or judgment on the basis of “race, ethnicity, sex, color or national origin” or that the United States is fundamentally or systemically racist or sexist." It would have imposed civil penalties of $5,000 per teacher, school administrators, school board and state agencies deemed responsible for any of the many possible transgressions as outlined in the bill.

SF 103 – Education-limitations on teaching critical race history – All schools and colleges in Wyoming that are supported in any manner by public funds shall give instruction in the essentials of the United States constitution and the constitution of the state of Wyoming, including the study of and devotion to American institution and ideals, and no student shall receive a high school diploma, associate degree or baccalaureate degree without satisfactorily passing an examination on the principles of the constitution of the United States and the state of Wyoming.


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** And in Other News
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HB 100 – Redistricting
Overall, we are satisfied with the most recent plan put forward to the legislature. The House of Representatives repelled an amendment to again reconfigure voting districts and passed the current version of HB 100 on second reading on Thursday. The plan adds two House seats and one Senate seat giving the House 62 members and the Senate 31. The new map’s legislative district lines stick closer to county lines and other logical boundaries. They also better represent some important community interests such as the Latino population of Southside Cheyenne. The new map puts 16 sitting legislators in the same districts forcing primary runoffs to determine who gets the seat.

Our sincere thanks to Marylee White for providing this report. Stay tuned for more updates as the legislative session continues.
You can contact Teton Country legislative members by email:

Senator Mike Gierau, Senate District 17 - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Senator Dan Dockstader, Senate District 16, Lincoln, Sublette, Teton Counties - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Representative Andy Schwartz, House District 23 - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Representative Mike Yin, House District 16 - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Representative Jim Roscoe, House District 22 - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
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